Northwestern University Athletics
Wildcats Host Michigan Saturday Night
2/25/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 25, 2005
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EVANSTON, Ill. - Wednesday game? What Wednesday game?
The best thing about Northwestern's game with Illinois earlier this week is that it is over, and the Wildcat coaches and players were quick to put the result in the rear-view mirror.
Northwestern vs. Michigan
Saturday, Feb. 26 * 7 p.m. Central
Welsh-Ryan Arena (Evanston, Ill.)
TV: ESPN+ Regional (Mike Adamle, play-by-play; Bob Ford, analyst)
Click here for TV clearances
Radio: WGN 720 AM (Dave Eanet, play-by-play; David Kaplan, analyst)
Instead, the focus when the players arrived at practice Thursday was Michigan--and what needs to be done in the next week. The Wildcats still have some work to do to accomplish their goal of being eligible for postseason play, needing two wins in the final three games.
The Wolverines have been decimated by injuries and suspensions in recent weeks, and come to Evanston having snapped a 10-game losing streak Wednesday against Big Ten cellar-dweller Penn State. However, NU head coach Bill Carmody still knows this is a formidable opponent for his team.
"Michigan is a team we have struggled with in recent years," he said. "They are athletic, with guys we struggle to guard. This is a must-win for us, but it is for them, too."
Following tonight's game, Northwestern is home again Wednesday to face a Michigan State team that enters the weekend solidly in second place in the Big Ten and handily defeated the Wildcats earlier this season in East Lansing.
The regular-season ends one week from now, when NU travels to Bloomington to face an Indiana team that is much improved from early January (when the 'Cats knocked them off 73-52 here in Evanston). Add to that the fact that no Northwestern team has won at IU's Assembly Hall, and the task becomes more daunting.
Did You Know?
Northwestern is guaranteed a .500 record for the month of February, the second straight year that has happened and the third time in Bill Carmody's five seasons (see bottom of page 9 of these notes). No big deal--until you realize the last time the Wildcats put together consecutive winning Februarys was 1960 (5-2) and 1961 (4-2), and they had just four such Februarys (1963, 1966, 1974, 1983) between 1961 and Carmody's arrival.
The Series with Michigan
• Today marks the 148th meeting between the Wildcats and the Wolverines in men's basketball; Michigan leads the series, 97-50.
• Michigan won the first meeting this season between the teams, 71-61, in Ann Arbor.
